What is an armscye? A shirt has been sewn together at the shoulders, and it lays flat on a purple surface with the back pieces extending from the shoulder seams. The bodice backs are labeled, as is the bodice front. The garment has not been sewn from underarm to hem yet. Where front and backs come together at the shoulder, there's a bracket indicating that this "arm hole area" is the armscye, on both sides of the shirt.
Crafts and Hobbies, Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: What is an armscye? #SewingChat #SewingVocabulary

DEFINITION: The portion of a garment where a sleeve can be attached to the bodice. This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well. It should be noted that I’ve only heard this word pronounced like “arm – sigh,” but when doing research for today’s blog post, I also heard someone say it as “arm’s eye.” … Continue reading Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: What is an armscye? #SewingChat #SewingVocabulary

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Ugly Christmas sweater patterns for Barbie. Displayed is the Chelly Wood doll pointing to the View H outfit from vintage Barbie pattern, McCalls 6420, which shows Barbie stepping out in a long-sleeved cowl neck sweater made from tan sweater fabric and a pair of brown tapered trousers. She also wears her signature high heels from the 1960’s. Between this image and the Chelly Wood doll are a sewing machine and various sewing supplies. Visit Chelly Wood dot com to learn more.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Are there any “ugly Christmas sweater” patterns for Barbie dolls? Why yes, there are!

Today’s blog post answers the question, “Are there any ‘ugly Christmas sweater’ patterns for Barbie?” And, yes, in fact, there are. See the image above? In the upper left-hand corner and the upper right-hand corner, you can see examples of cotton fabrics that imitate sweater fabric. So for starters, you could us ANY of my free Barbie shirt patterns that recommend cotton fabric, and just … Continue reading Are there any “ugly Christmas sweater” patterns for Barbie dolls? Why yes, there are!

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Barbie waves. She wears a soft white felt sleeveless top and a black miniskirt dotted with little candy corns. The skirt she wears has a long tulle petticoat. She is also wearing bright orange high heel shoes. Free patterns for making this outfit are found at ChellyWood.com. Text: Halloween ensemble. Free sewing patterns at Chelly Wood dot com.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Whole Costumes for Dolls

It’s October… Let’s finish sewing a Halloween ensemble for Barbie!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Last week I gave you the little mini candycorn skirt project, and today I’m giving you a tutorial with lots of little stop-motion scenes, showing how to make the easiest felt shirt ever. Yes, the felt shirt project is one that has been available here, on ChellyWood.com, for quite some time, … Continue reading It’s October… Let’s finish sewing a Halloween ensemble for Barbie!

Chelly Wood2 Comments
Recycled fabrics are used to form the circular arrows of the recycle symbol.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

Christmas Gift Idea: Support Afghan Refugees by Purchasing a Christmas Tree Ornament from SilaiWali

  I know that many of you create doll clothes using recycled clothing, which is so admirable! We all want to see that kind of change in the way humans use the earth’s resources. But during the holiday season, it’s easy to slip back into our old habits, buying plastics and non-recycled goods, as we try to fill the Christmas stockings of all our kids, … Continue reading Christmas Gift Idea: Support Afghan Refugees by Purchasing a Christmas Tree Ornament from SilaiWali

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Portland Frog holds up a peace sign in protest. This is part of a blog post at ChellyWood.com that asks the question, "Is being a rebel good?" Discussion centers around McCall's 2970, as this Made-for-Topper-Dawn doll clothes pattern will also fit LOL Surprise OMG dolls (at least the View B dress does anyway).
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Is being a rebel a good thing? #SillyMemes #SewingHack

See that image? That’s a thing that happened to me over the weekend. Every time my husband tells me to go buy him a “Whatsit-whoozit” at the hardware store, I always come home with the WRONG item. Then he yells at me, as if I should have known exactly which “Whatsit-whoozit” he meant. So over the weekend, when he had his truck all taken apart, … Continue reading Is being a rebel a good thing? #SillyMemes #SewingHack

Chelly Wood4 Comments
Halloween skirt, free sewing patterns at Chelly Wood dot com. Barbie doll shown from waist down wearing a mini skirt made of candy-corn printed black cotton with white tulle long petticoat underneath. Please click the thumbnail to access the free PDF sewing patterns including A4 doll clothes patterns.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Whole Costumes for Dolls

It’s October… Let’s make a Halloween skirt for Barbie!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. I first started this website in the early 2010’s, more as a side project than a business. I wasn’t expecting it to become a hub for free sewing patterns. Back in those early days, I didn’t have a fancy camera, video software, and a sound system, so my earliest videos aren’t … Continue reading It’s October… Let’s make a Halloween skirt for Barbie!

Chelly Wood6 Comments
Free Bratz doll clothes patterns at Chelly Wood dot com. Doll is shown in handmade white snap-down-the-front blouse and hot pink elastic waist shorts dotted with light pink modern flower designs. Click the thumbnail to read the whole article and download the free Bratz doll clothes patterns.
10-inch doll clothes patterns, 7-inch Dolls, 8-inch doll clothes patterns, 9-inch Dolls, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Free Sewing Patterns for Bratz Dolls — Cotton Shirt and Shorts — Here you go!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. It has been a while since I posted something for the little Bratz dolls. So today’s free patterns can be used to make a cotton shirt and a pair of elastic-waist shorts, to fit your Bratz doll. The sleeve and bodice front are all one piece, for this shirt, so it’s … Continue reading Free Sewing Patterns for Bratz Dolls — Cotton Shirt and Shorts — Here you go!

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Discover Sewing Magic with Chelly Wood's Doll Clothes Sewing Pattern Creations! Inside a charming quilted frame, a unique Chelly Wood doll (a creatively transformed Spin Master Liv doll featuring a grey wig and custom face paint) strikes a pose, pointing at three vibrant purple question marks. Dressed in a red check gingham short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, the doll accessorizes with a red gingham handkerchief securing her silver grey hair and completes the look with black flats. Click to explore ChellyWood.com, your go-to resource for free, printable PDF sewing patterns to craft stylish doll clothes for dolls of all shapes and sizes. Dive into the sewing community and enhance your skills today!
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern? #MeMadeMonday #SewingHack

Before I started typing today’s blog post, I googled the same question: “What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern?” And let me just say that yes, AI can make mistakes. It became very obvious to me that Google doesn’t know how to correctly respond to this question. Granted, Google AI offered links to their sources. So that’s good. … Continue reading What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern? #MeMadeMonday #SewingHack

Chelly Wood6 Comments
What will Barbie and Ken wear in the dollhouse display? Do a Pick. Which one? Ken wears a grey suit to match Barbie's "Mainly Rain" coat and hat. Click the thumbnail to play along.
Do a Pick! Game, Doll Play Videos, Vintage Barbie, Vintage Ken

Let’s Do a Pick — Clean your room! (And your Barbie’s dollhouse…) #DoApick #vintageToys

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Scenario A: Barbie wears “Golden glitter”, Best Buy 3340 Ken wears “Mainly for Rain” grey suit, Best Buy 8618 Scenario B: Barbie wears “Mainly for Rain” long red coat, Best Buy 3338 Ken wears a fur-trimmed Sherpa jacket with matching pants, Best Buy 8617 (I got the number wrong in the video) Scenario C: Ken wears red … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Clean your room! (And your Barbie’s dollhouse…) #DoApick #vintageToys

Chelly Wood6 Comments
Shown in trousers, a collared shirt, and a decorative business suit’s tie are (left to right) GI Joe (African American), Action Man, Broad Ken, and Superstar Ken. The logo for Chelly Wood dot com is found at the bottom. Free Patterns!
12-inch doll clothes patterns, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Daily Patterns, GI Joe, Ken Patterns

Free sewing patterns for making business clothing for 12 inch male fashion dolls and action figures

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing pattern. In the past few weeks, I’ve uploaded three different videos to my YouTube channel, each one showing how to sew a different article of business attire for 12 inch male dolls and action figures. Today’s blog post will give you patterns and tutorial videos for making the shirt, the trousers, and … Continue reading Free sewing patterns for making business clothing for 12 inch male fashion dolls and action figures

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With a quilted frame around it, we see a section of a McCall's vintage fashion doll clothes sewing pattern for making a cape that will fit a fashion doll like Barbie and similar-sized dolls.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

How to Sew a Welted Arm Opening in a Cape

As I type this first sentence, the ground outside my sewing room window is wet with early morning rain. It smells lovely out there! But this means fall is underway, here in the northern hemisphere, so it might be a good time to do a blog post on cape-making. Specifically, today’s post will show you how I made a welted opening in a cape, so … Continue reading How to Sew a Welted Arm Opening in a Cape

Chelly Wood4 Comments
DIY miniature tie with free patterns including A4. GI Joe models a handmade red tie against his navy blue collared shirt. In the background we see Superstar Ken, GI Joe, and Action man action figures also wearing the handmade tie.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Daily Patterns, GI Joe, Ken Patterns

How to Sew a Tie for Broad Ken, GI Joe, Action Man, and Superstar Ken (with Free Pattern)

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing pattern. In today’s “How to Sew a Tie” video, I told you I’d be sure to give you a link to a helpful tutorial that shows you how to tie a Windsor knot for your doll or action figure’s tie. This link will take you to a very helpful step-by-step video showing … Continue reading How to Sew a Tie for Broad Ken, GI Joe, Action Man, and Superstar Ken (with Free Pattern)

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Various sewing and crafting notions like thread, a tape measure, scissors, and a writing utensil swirl around the words "Sewing Vocab" in a thumbnail frame. This is the default thumbnail for the sewing picture dictionary (or sewing glossary with pictures) on ChellyWood.com, a website that offers free printable PDF sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
Crafts and Hobbies, Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: Buttons

DEFINITION: A type of fastener that usually passes through a hole or uses a loop as a method of closure. This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well. A lot of people who are new to sewing doll clothes struggle to find tiny buttons that are ideal for making dolls’ clothes, so today I’ll give … Continue reading Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: Buttons

Chelly Wood8 Comments
McCall's 6260 vintage Barbie patterns: view A shows a ponytail Barbie wearing a pink gingham dress with lace skirt overlaid and a matching pair of pink gingham panties (shown below the doll on a silver graphic line); View B shows a silver evening gown (strapless) with matching stole and a pink ribbon tied at the waist; View C shows a pink swing coat with very large pockets and lots of buttons; View D shows an orange Kimono style bath robe with white trim and a white belt tied at the waist; View E shows a pair of high-waisted black pants with a little bolero style pink top over the top of them; View F shows a blue bikini with tiny pink polka dots.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

How to Store and Preserve Vintage Sewing Patterns

Today’s topic is near and dear to my heart. If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you’ll know that I own quite a collection of old doll clothes sewing patterns. Many of them are featured in my Monday sewing lessons, all of which can be found on this page. Over the years, I’ve gotten better and better at preserving my vintage sewing patterns, and … Continue reading How to Store and Preserve Vintage Sewing Patterns

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Thumbnail shows GI Jo in dress pants, a shirt with a collar, and a tiny formal tie. Free patterns at ChellyWood.com. He wears a pair of wine colored Oxford wingtip dress shoes with a slight heel.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, A4 Printer PDF Patterns, Daily Patterns, GI Joe, Ken Patterns

Here’s how to make easy elastic waist trousers, for GI Joe, Action Man, and other muscular dolls/action figures… #GiftsForBoys #SewingMom

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. A long requested item, today’s video tutorial shows how to make a simple pair of elastic-waist trousers for muscular action figures in the 12 inch range. If you’re new to sewing, this is a relatively easy project to complete. Today’s trousers pattern will have a shorter inseam than the ones I’ve … Continue reading Here’s how to make easy elastic waist trousers, for GI Joe, Action Man, and other muscular dolls/action figures… #GiftsForBoys #SewingMom

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